Change your eating and drinking habits

You may be able to control your indigestion with changes to your eating habits.

It can help to eat small meals often, rather than larger meals three times a day, and to not eat within three hours of going to bed at night.

Cutting down on drinks containing caffeine, and foods that are rich, spicy or fatty, can also ease symptoms.

Keep upright

Sit up straight when you eat. This will take the pressure off your stomach. Propping your head and shoulders up when you go to bed can stop stomach acid coming up while you sleep.

Stop smoking

Smoking when pregnant can cause indigestion, and can seriously affect the health of you and your unborn baby.

When you smoke, the chemicals you inhale can contribute to your indigestion. These chemicals can cause the ring of muscle at the lower end of your gullet to relax, which allows stomach acid to come back up more easily. This is known as acid reflux.

When to get medical help

See your midwife or GP if you need help managing your symptoms or if changes to your diet and lifestyle don't work. They may recommend medicine to ease your symptoms.

You should also see your midwife or GP if you have any of the following:

difficulty eating or keeping food down

weight loss

stomach pains

Your midwife or GP may ask about your symptoms and examine you by pressing gently on different areas of your chest and stomach to see whether this is painful.

If you're taking prescription medicines

Speak to your GP if you're taking medication for another condition, such as antidepressants, and you think it may be contributing to your indigestion. Your GP may be able to prescribe an alternative medicine.

Never stop taking a prescribed medication unless you're advised to do so by your GP or another qualified healthcare professional who's responsible for your care.

Medicines for indigestion and heartburn

Medicines for indigestion and heartburn during pregnancy include:

antacids – to neutralise the acid in your stomach (some are available over the counter from a pharmacist)

alginates – to relieve indigestion caused by acid reflux by stopping the acid in your stomach coming back up your gullet

You may only need to take antacids and alginates when you start getting symptoms. However, your GP may recommend taking them before symptoms come on – for example, before a meal or before bed.

If you're taking iron supplements as well as antacids, don't take them simultaneously. Antacids can stop iron from being absorbed by your body.

If antacids and alginates don't improve your symptoms, your GP may prescribe a medicine to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach. Two that are widely used in pregnancy and not known to be harmful to an unborn baby are:

ranitidine – a tablet you take twice a day

omeprazole – a tablet you take once a day

Causes of indigestion in pregnancy

Symptoms of indigestion come when the acid in your stomach irritates your stomach lining or your gullet. This causes pain and a burning feeling.

When you're pregnant, you're more likely to have indigestion because of:

hormonal changes

the growing baby pressing on your stomach

the muscles between your stomach and gullet relaxing, allowing stomach acid to come back up